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Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a staunch advocate of inspectors general and congressional oversight, Tuesday released the following statement.

“Inspectors General provide a critical check on an otherwise unaccountable bureaucracy. In other words, they help drain the swamp. Their duty is to provide nonpartisan recommendations and remove politics from the inner workings of our federal government.

“The White House should empower inspectors general so they’re able to do their job, as President Trump did with Inspector General Horowitz and his report on FISA abuse involving the president’s 2016 campaign. Inspector General Horowitz’s independent oversight of the Department of Justice and the FBI exposed serious shortcomings, political influence in law enforcement and egregious abuses of power.

“The law requires the president to notify Congress ahead of any termination of a Senate-confirmed inspector general and to provide a written explanation. President Trump must prioritize filling inspector general vacancies with permanent nominees so this important congressional oversight function can occur. At the same time, senators who are truly interested in holding the executive branch accountable should not be delaying the confirmation of noncontroversial nominees and burning up valuable floor time.”

For decades, Grassley has fought for tougher oversight of military spending at the Department of Defense. Grassley also released the following statement.

“I thank Acting Inspector General Glenn Fine for his service to his country and I wish him well as he returns to his role of Principal Deputy Inspector General. The Pentagon watchdog is tasked with overseeing one of the largest organizations on Earth and it’s not an easy job. The next inspector general needs to aggressively root out fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement and make hard-hitting recommendations for corrective action.

“The Department of Defense’s size requires a strong inspector general who is willing to go toe to toe with military brass and stand up to the entrenched bureaucracy at the Pentagon. The military’s budget is so vast and its management so averse to change, the next inspector general can’t be afraid to hold leadership accountable and fight to protect taxpayers and servicemembers.

“Every dollar wasted is a dollar that doesn’t go to protect our military men and women. Improper spending at the Pentagon is a chronic problem and a full and valid audit is needed and long overdue. The next inspector general must be more aggressive and tougher with Department of Defense management.”

Author: Press Release

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